CA-MMU-Telegraph IC Update - 20,000+ acres

Official Information: The number to call for information is (209) 966-4784 or (209) 966-4785 .
If you have any other special or specific needs, call Mariposa County Sheriff's Dept. at (209) 966-3615.
Evacuation Hotline: (209) 966-1133 (recorde

Telegraph Fire perimeters map
Geomac/Cal Fire news

Cause: Target shooter - State fire spokeswoman Karen Guillemin said the blaze, dubbed the Telegraph Fire, was sparked by someone target shooting but would not elaborate,About 2,000 firefighters were battling the fire and hundreds more were headed to the scene along the Merced River west of Yosemite, one of the nation's most visited national parks.

Updated: 1645hrs - Hard closure at Dogtown road and Texas hill Rd. Pre-Evacuations starting on 49 north from French Camp Road.
Updated: 1600hrs - Significant structure losses - 8 Residences and 7 Outbuildings officially confirmed lost. About 2,000 firefighters battling the fire and hundreds more were headed to the scene along the Merced River west of Yosemite.
Most of the evacuated homes are in the town of Midpines, located along Highway 140, about 12 miles from the park.
Updated: 1400hrs - More Evacuations, evacuation of the Dogtown area and a hard closure of Schilling Road. - Fire encroaching on Briceburg - Tanker 910 5 mins out, on the way in over Lake McCellan, Type 3 S/T from Sac County 4159C enroute.
Hospital is being evacuated.
Updated: Sunday, July 27, 12:05 p.m - The Mariposa County Sheriff's Department's event information line has just released the following additional evacuation orders; The following areas are under current evacuation order and the roadways are closed to the public: Foran, Avoca Vale, Alta Vista and Grosjean, Lake view, Serpentine, PennyRoyal, French Camp.
CAL FIRE's event information number is 966-1133.
Updated: 20,000+ acres, Mandatory evacuations - Roshen to 140, French Camp road, lakeview Road, Mosher Road, Telegraph Road, Whitlock Road, Cory Pine Road, Sherlock Road, Salamander Road, Colorado Road, Davis Road, Rumbly Mine Road and Rancheria Creek Roads are all under evacuation orders. North side of Mariposa County, Dogtown Road, Texas Hill and Wagner Roads are under pre-evacuation orders.

• The Telegraph Wildland fire has now grown to over 20,000 acres at the Gateway entrance to Yosemite park.
• CAL FIRE officials state that there has been "significant structure loss," but they are unable to provide an exact number because firefighters haven't been able to return to areas containing structures due to erratic fire behavior.
• A damage assessment crew has been requested.
  

Planned actions: CALFIRE will begin a firing operation on Buckhorn Ridge and Burma Grade near Briceburg today in an effort to put a semi-circle of fuel-depleted land in front of the advancing blaze. If it is successful, the operation will provide anchor points on two sides of the fire, and in the middle.
Notes: Some fire lines were established on the ridge lines overnight as the perimeter of the fire settled down, but the center of the fire continued to rage overnight. "Right now the fire is dictating to us what we can do," said Incident Commander Bill Hodson following Sunday morning's briefing.
Hodson has stepped aside as incident commander as CAL FIRE Team 8 takes charge of the unified command that includes the Mariposa County Sheriff's Department, Mariposa County Fire, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Yosemite fire -Further information will be available on this Web site as it is released.
Information sources:
Cal fire
Mariposa County Sheriff's office
Mariposa Gazette
Scanners

Telegraph Fire:
Last Updated:	July 26, 2008, 8:00 pm
Date/Time Started:	June 25, 2008, 3:15 pm
Administrative Unit:	CAL FIRE Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit
County:	Mariposa County
Location:	Telegraph Road and Sherlock Road in the Midpines Area.
Acres Burned:	16,000 acres
Containment:	0% contained
Structures Threatened:	2,000 residences in the communities of Midpines, Mariposa, Greeley Hill, Coulterville, Bear Valley, and Mt. Bullion Camp
Evacuations:	Evacuation order is in place for the Midpines community. Evacuation warnings are in place for residences in the immediate area of the fire. An evacuation center has been established at the Mariposa Elementry School.
Cooperating Agencies:	CAL FIRE, Mariposa County Fire, Mariposa Sheriffs Department, BLM, USFS, CCC, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Resources Committed :	884 Total Resources: 1 AirAttack, 4 AirTankers, 3 Helicopters, 94 Engines, 20 Hand Crews, 24 Dozers, and 3 Watertenders.
Conditions:	The fire is burning in the Merced River Drainage, on both sides of the river. The fire is burning with a rapid rate of spread. Accessibility problems due to steep, rocky and isolated terrain. CAL FIRE Incident Command Team #8 has taken command of the fire.
Fire Information:	(209) 966-4784 or (209) 966-4785